Generally, a rear of a vehicle is provided with a pair of side rear members at both sides of the vehicle. The side rear members extend along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The side rear members are bonded to rear portions of inner side sills and extend from the bonded portion toward the rear portion of the vehicle so as to be attached to a rear bumper of the vehicle.
The side rear members are constructed in a manner so as to increase the cross-sectional strength by providing a bulkhead (i.e., a seat installation bracket) thereto. This is to prevent the side rear members from bending upwardly due to a load applied when a rear crash occurs. However, since the bulkhead alone does not provide a sufficient reinforcement, a large side member reinforcement can be further installed to the side rear members. Such a feature is disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3138175.
However, the conventional rear structure of a vehicular body is disadvantageous in that the weight of the vehicular body and the manufacturing cost inevitably increase due to the increase in the number of components. This is because the side member reinforcement is installed to the side rear members in addition to installing the bulkhead as a reinforcing member of the side rear members. Further, if a kick-up portion is formed on the side rear members, the side rear members may be bent upwardly at the kick-up portion.